Resources for veterans

• American Red Cross. Helps coordinate job certification training for veterans and provides scholarships to offset the cost to attend the Red Cross nurse assistant training program. Also provides emergency financial assistance and resources to veterans unable to receive other government and social service agency aid. Recently partnered with MGM Resorts International on Boots to Business program, which helps veterans transition from military service into management at properties owned and operated by MGM Resorts (See story). Applicants will receive help to rework their resumes and prepare for interviews. In Detroit, where MGM Resorts operates the MGM Grand Detroit, a 12-week management training and transition support program will be offered: redcross.org/mi/detroit.

• Brain Injury Association of Michigan. In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the association offers a program to help business owners understand and deal with veterans with brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder who are having a hard time keeping a job: biami.org.

• Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces. U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard program provides employers a direct link to service members seeking employment. The organization's website merged with the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs' Hero 2 Hired program to create a comprehensive job portal for all service members: h2h.jobs or employerpartnership.org.

• Home Depot Foundation. Partners with nonprofit organizations to address the housing needs of veterans, from building wheelchair ramps and home renovations to repairing and remodeling transitional housing for homeless veterans: homedepotfoundation.org/page/veterans.

• JVS. The Veterans Empowerment Tools program helps vets with service-related disabilities reintegrate into the community. Services include support groups, one-on-one support, and vocational and educational counseling. To qualify, a vet must have a 10 percent service-connected disability, an open case with the VA Vocational Rehabilitation Unit and Employment Chapter 11 services and be referred to JVS by a VA counselor. Sign up at ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs or visit jvsdet.org.

• Military OneSource. This U.S. Department of Defense program provides resources and support to active-duty National Guard and Reserve service members and their families anywhere in the world. The organization's Employee Assistance Program section on its website provides access to articles, podcasts and videos, among other resources, specific to military programs and military family concerns such as career, education, financial and legal information: militaryonesource.com.

• Motor City Veterans Village. Helps veterans and their families navigate the services provided by nonprofits and the VA in Michigan: michiganveteranresources.com.

• National Foundation for Veteran Redeployment. Offers career opportunities for veterans in the oil and gas industry. Will act as a conduit for training, human resource networking and financial support: nfvr.org.

• Pure Michigan Talent Connect. State employment services for veterans. The website also offers a link to Shifting Heroes, part of the Michigan Shifting Gears program, which provides additional career development support to veterans. It includes one-to-one mentoring by a Michigan veteran and provides opportunities to make direct connections with employers who are specifically interested in hiring veterans and are committed to creating a supportive professional environment for their veteran employees: mitalent.org/veteran.

• Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division. Operates two transitional housing sites for homeless veterans in Detroit and one in Monroe. It also provides substance abuse treatment and casework services: usc.salvationarmy.org.

• TechShop Detroit. This fully equipped fabrication and design space, which includes everything from plasma cutters and 3-D printers, offers free one-year memberships good at any TechShop across the country. TechShop CEO Mark Hatch is himself a vet: techshop.ws/veterans.

• University of Detroit Mercy Law School. The law school's Project Salute works with low-income veterans to help obtain their benefits while training pro bono attorneys. More than 4,100 veterans have been counseled to date, training more than 1,200 pro bono attorneys. The university's Veterans Clinics address legal and professional needs of veterans: law.udmercy.edu.

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Center for Veterans Enterprise helps veterans start their first business and run it after it is launched: vetbiz.gov, a federal government portal for veteran-owned businesses.

• U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA helps financial institutions with lending to veteran-owned small businesses through the Patriot Express loan program: sba.gov/loanprograms. The SBA also instituted a new online contracting tutorial to help veterans and military spouses who own small businesses identify and win federal contracting opportunities: sba.gov/sba-learning-center. Through the Boots to Business program, the SBA works with the Defense Department to provide entrepreneurial training to service members transitioning out of active duty. B2B is designed to assist about 250,000 veterans annually to seek self-employment opportunities and develop a feasibility survey and business plan: boots2business.org.

• Veterans Business Outreach Center helps veterans launch businesses. The nonprofit gets most of its funding from the SBA. In May, the SBA announced its Veteran Pledge Initiative, a commitment by its top national, regional and community lenders to collectively increase their lending activity to vets by 5 percent a year for the next five years: vetbizcentral.org. Click on registration link to fill out a questionnaire used to design a one-on-one counseling session. For information, visit sba.gov/content/veterans-business-outreach-centers-0.

• Volunteers of America-Michigan. Provides two employment programs: the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, which serves male veterans, and the Female and Families Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, which serves women and families of veterans. Employment and housing programs provide case management services, transportation assistance and other clinical services: voami.org. For a full list of programs and services, visit voami.org/Services/Veterans-Programs.

• Wall Street Warfighters Foundation. Philadelphia-based nonprofit trains wounded veterans for careers in finance. (888) 439-3935. Applications are available online, and those accepted to the program don't need to relocate to Philadelphia: wallstreetwarfighters.org.